Comparison of the new series

[DrFrag]

I have the DVDs of the new Astroboy series, and I thought I'd compare the US DVD release (fullscreen) to the Australian DVD release (anamorphic widescreen). I also captured the TV broadcast. Here are some screenshots to show what you get:

Widescreen:

(nice)

Fullscreen:

(ouch!

Analogue TV broadcast:

(in between)

There's a pretty brutal cut to the picture to achieve fullscreen. Even the top and bottom have been cut, which seems totally unnecessary to me.
More pictures:

Widescreen:


Fullscreen:


Analogue TV broadcast:


Widescreen:


Fullscreen:


Analogue TV broadcast:


And Sony have the nerve to list fullscreen as a "feature", and declare the DVDs a "collector's edition". Bah.

[jeffbert]

Somebody get a rope, :angry: it's lynchin' time!

What was the medium for your TV reception, Cable, or broadcast? If Cable, was it digital? I just cannot see why the 4.5 MHz bandwidth of the TV signal would make the picture so dull, nor can I fathom why they would dull it deliberately. It is just so great a difference.

However, if your source is VHS video tape, be aware that it is far from the quality of broadcast. If it is TVio, it might possibly be inherent in it that the colors are washed out, to prevent piracy or some such thing.

[Anapan]

Even with digital sattelite using s-video cables directly to my capture card, the show is definitely much duller on TV than it should've been, there was quite a bit of difference between Kids WB and YTV, but both were rather bland looking. It took about 4 chained virtualdub filters to get the color back to what I thought it should be (based on promo images from from the websites) and the dull colors made for a much more grainy image that if they'd used the correct gamma and, whitew balance and light-dark levels.

[outerspacerace]

This definately stops me from ordering the US boxset, as cheap as it is.

Edits are bad (brutal actually) enough but this hacking of the original source is disgusting.

Sony really do think they can do anything.

Now, if only the Australian DVD's would come out as a complete boxset.

I hear the second half of the series will be done like that but dislike (to the extent of not buying) the fact that the first half must be collected in volumes.

This new Astro series is really all over the place no matter what country it's been released in it seems.

I just want an official release in a boxset, anamorphic widescreen, reasonable price.

The above statement refers to the dub and the Japanese series.

What do you think, do such releases exist?

[DrFrag]

The best you can do for an English dub is the Australian DVDs. It's the same dub and editing as the US version, but at least you get the full picture. Still waiting on the second half to be released though.
The US version also has 3:2 pulldown, whereas the Australian version is progressive 25fps and seems to have slightly betting picture quality (probably helped having 4 episodes per disc rather than 10).

If you want the original cut, the best is probably the Korean DVDs. Widescreen, with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

What was the medium for your TV reception, Cable, or broadcast? If Cable, was it digital? I just cannot see why the 4.5 MHz bandwidth of the TV signal would make the picture so dull, nor can I fathom why they would dull it deliberately. It is just so great a difference.

It was an analogue broadcast, taped onto 6-head VHS, then recorded through an old video capture card (Asus V7700). Crappy I know, but I didn't have my digital capture card then and the DVDs weren't out.
I boosted the saturation with VirtualDub, but I didn't have any comparison footage so I didn't know exactly what to do with the settings. I'm also not very good with VirtualDub filters.
The other pictures are DVD screenshots.